Senior Grants Manager

Mission and Vision

Through the joyful art and practice of social dances, Dancing Classrooms cultivates engaged learners, collaborative leaders, and inclusive spaces. We envision a world that values social dance as foundational to every child’s well-being and joy, celebrates the beauty of diversity, and amplifies our shared humanity.

Organizational Overview

Made famous by the acclaimed 2005 documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom,” DC has been an arts education leader for almost 30 years. We provide more dance instruction than any other nonprofit partner in NYC, serving over 15,000 students in 150 schools each year; predominantly in low-income communities. Since its founding, DC has danced with over 650,000 children globally and currently supports 10 affiliates across the U.S. 

With a portfolio of standards-based K-12 grade in- and after-school residencies, we use social and partner dance to teach children the soft and “power” skills that will help them succeed in school and life such as collaboration, focus, listening, and perseverance. DC’s programs are gender inclusive, culturally responsive, and accessible to Students With Disabilities (both physical and neurological). 

Emerging from the pandemic years, DC is uniquely positioned to meet the moment with a research-backed methodology that supports children’s social-emotional learning skills and mental health. With freshly articulated vision, mission, and values statements and a new strategic plan in place, we are eager to build a highly motivated and effective development team to scale our programs to impact 50% more children over the next three years. 

Our Culture: 

DC believes in the potential of every student and is dedicated to cultivating their artistic, physical, cognitive and social skills in order to support their long-term success. Our culture thrives by putting the remarkable young people we serve at the center of everything we do. Having worked remotely for several years, DC team members are proactive and self-driven, but also thrive in a collaborative environment where flexibility, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit are encouraged and celebrated. Kindness, compassion, empathy and respect are at the forefront of the way we treat each other, our students, our teaching artists, our school partners, and our supporters. We strive to embrace our role as life-long-learners and to embrace diversity, inclusion, and cross-cultural understanding.

In line with our organizational values, and in support of emotional and physical well-being, we are committed to prioritizing the health and safety of our students, TAs, staff, and school/organization partners. Before applying, please refer to the Covid-19 policies on our website at www.dancingclassrooms.org. 

Position Overview: 

The Senior Grants Manager is responsible for managing the full life cycle of grant proposals and awards for Dancing Classrooms. This includes researching and identifying new funding prospects, writing compelling grant proposals, ensuring compliance with funder requirements, and maintaining strong relationships with the institutional giving portfolio.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Grant Writing, Reporting, and Management

• Lead the grant writing and reporting process, including coordinating input from Senior/Program/Education Dancing Classrooms team members, developing project descriptions, goals, objectives, budgets, and ensuring proposals align with funder priorities and guidelines.
• Responsible for managing and continuously building the institutional giving pipeline, including foundation and government grants, by tracking application timelines and deadlines, and collaborating closely with development team members to submit compelling, well-crafted proposals and reports on time.
• Utilize Asana and Salesforce to meticulously track all grant deadlines, reporting requirements, and overall grants calendar, providing regular updates to the team on upcoming deadlines and the status of proposals.
• Coordinate the submission process and follow up on the progress of submitted proposals.
• Review grant documents, budgets, and support materials, and verify completeness and accuracy before submission.
• Ensure compliance with grantor requirements by communicating requirements as needed to other departments, tracking deliverables, and reporting obligations.
• Execute acknowledgment letters and facilitate grant contracts/agreements.
• Serve as the link between Program, Education, Finance, and Development teams to ensure that all grant management activities are smoothly implemented. 
• Lead prospect research to identify potential new institutional funding sources.
• Oversee the organization's online grant-related portals and submissions.
• Cultivate and steward relationships with institutional funders through consistent communication, promoting Dancing Classrooms' mission and impact, inviting them to our events and performances, and also coordinating site visits as necessary.
• Meet regularly with Senior/Program/Education staff to discuss funding needs and gather information for reporting purposes.

Government Relations

• Drive relationship-building initiatives with city government, including City Council members and agency offices (e.g., DCA).
• Strive to raise at least $300,000 in government grants annually.
• Research and monitor government activities that could affect Dancing Classrooms and report findings to Senior staff.

Requirements & Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (English, Communication, Nonprofit Management, etc.)
• Minimum 5 years of grant writing experience.
• Knowledge and application of best practices in grantmaking. 
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• A critical thinker who can connect the dots and see the big picture.
• Strong research and analytical abilities.
• Highly organized with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize, and follow through to effectively manage work and meet multiple deadlines. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, interpersonal, and ethical conduct skills 
• Must be passionate about the mission and work of DC 
• Demonstrated commitment to: 
• Culturally responsive and culturally sustaining education 
• LGBTQI+ inclusivity practices in education and administration 
• Social-emotional learning
• Must be comfortable working remotely 
• Ability to travel (drive or public transportation) to storage facility, in-person meetings, and events around the NYC metro area as needed

Employment & Compensation: 

The Senior Grants Manager is a full-time employee and receives an annual salary ranging from ($70,000-$75,000) commensurate with experience and aligned with company-wide pay equity. Dancing Classrooms offers a comprehensive benefits package including employee/employer contribution health care coverage, employee-contribution 401K options, employee-covered pre-tax commuter benefits, employer support for remote workspace setup needs, and generous paid time off. 

How to Apply: 

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing your experience and expertise in the aforementioned qualifications. Please send application materials to jobs@dancingclassrooms.org, with the subject line “Senior Grants Manager.”

Dancing Classrooms encourages applicants of all backgrounds and identities to apply for roles that align with their own interests and career trajectory. If you meet a majority of the qualifications and see yourself in this role, we would love to see your application! Dancing Classrooms is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, dedicated to ensuring diversity in our workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, parental needs, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. 

For more information about Dancing Classrooms please visit dancingclassrooms.org.